I've recently started playing again after an 11 year hiatus. I have Evans G1/Hazy 300 on my snare, but toms and bass drum still have the Remo UTs that came with the kit. I'm playing pretty mellow stuff for relaxed audiences/venues (wineries etc), lots of jazzy, bluesy numbers with brushes and hot rods.

Although the UTs are the best sounding kit supplied heads I've had, I'm looking to change them. The Evans J1s have caught my eye because of the coating (etching of head rather than a coating).

I'd appreciate feedback from any of you who've used the Evans J1 as batters on snares and toms. How do they compare to Evans G1s or Remo Ambassadors attack, sustain and durability?

I would recommend checking out Aquarian Modern Vintage medium coated heads or Aquarian Jack DeJohnette coated heads. Perfect heads for jazzy/blues stuff, and the coating is tons more durable and higher quality than Remo.

Well, to answer the question you actually asked, to my ear the J1s are considerably brighter sounding than the Evans coated G1 or Remo coated Ambassador--pretty much as bright as a clear G1 or Ambassador. They do not provide the warmth associated with heads that have a standard coating.

All are 10mil heads and have very similar sustain.

If you mean "durability" in terms of resistance to denting or breakage, this has much more to do with the player (and to a lesser extent the type of tip on the sticks) than the heads.

And with all due deference to Robert, I've been playing Remo coated Ambassadors for over three decades and have never once had premature coating wear. My son, who is an extremely hard hitter (he plays rock unmiked) used them for a time as well with no problems.

Since some players seem to have trouble with the Remo coating while many do not, it seems to me that the issue is not the heads but other factors: stick angles, drum angles, playing with chipped wood tips or gouged nylon tips, or mass hysteria. ;-)

Thanks for the responses and good information. I've heard lots of good things about Aquarian heads, but my local shops mainly carry Evans and Remo heads, so my options are a bit limited.

I really like the sound I'm getting from my snare with the Evans G1, so I might try some coated G1s on my toms. I really do want a warm sound so it was good to hear from someone who's compared them. I might even use G1s as resos.

With the band I am playing at the moment I cannot afford to be a heavy hitter. We are very much there to support our singer who has a fantastic voice (classically trained) and does a lot of melodical and sensitive stuff with her vocals. So I have to be very responsive to that. I am actually enjoying the challenge as it's adding a whole new dimension to my playing.

I have a 13" J1 that I'd bought as a spare for my Pearl piccolo that I just sold recently, and I don't have another 13" snare except for the one that came with my home practice kit, a Tama Stagestar, but that snare's been dropped and dented on the bottom hoop and that side of the shell [not by me], so I'm likely not gonna put that head on that drum... [I should start a new thread asking how to get that shell back in round, plus, where do I find a 6 lug 13" bottom snare hoop...?!?] So, 1st $10 + shipping gets the J1... PM me.